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An Examination of the Effects of a Systemic Approach to Mathematics Reform on the Attitudes and Practices of Special and General Educators in an Inclusive Setting. Presenter. Calvin McTier. Perspectives. Special Education.

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The viewpoint of special education, being positivist-based, has placed emphasis in theory and practice on students receiving instruction that emphasizes rote memorization and procedural skills (Cawley & Miller, 1994).

Mathematics Reform special education is not as prevalent as it once was; however, in practice its influence is still prevalent in the classroom today and especially in the special education classroom (Woodward & Montague, 2002)

The viewpoint of mathematics reform, being constructivist-based, has placed an emphasis on a classroom in which students construct an understanding of subject matter rather than receiving it directly from the teacher (Woodward & Montague, 2002).

According to Kroesbergen and Van Luit (2003), a survey of the literature will reveal that most of the research that has been done in special education relative to mathematics has been done in the domain of basic skills using positivist approaches.

Methodology and Design mathematics teaching affect how the two educators operated in the inclusive environment?

The design of this research was ethnographic. According to Schwandt (2001), ethnography is the process and product of describing and interpreting cultural activities. An ethnography concentrates on the descriptions that people give to routine activities in their daily lives, allowing for a variety of views to be examined at the same time (Maggs-Rapport, 2000). An ethnography involves prolonged periods of observation in which the researcher is immersed in the everyday lives of those being observed (Cresswell,1998). In an ethnography, the researcher seeks to move from an outsider to an insider in order to gain a meaningful estimation of that cultural experience.

Data Collection Schwandt (2001), ethnography is the process and product of describing and interpreting cultural activities. An ethnography concentrates on the descriptions that people give to routine activities in their daily lives, allowing for a variety of views to be examined at the same time (Maggs-Rapport, 2000). An ethnography involves prolonged periods of observation in which the researcher is immersed in the everyday lives of those being observed (Cresswell,1998). In an ethnography, the researcher seeks to move from an outsider to an insider in order to gain a meaningful estimation of that cultural experience.

The data were collected over a four month period. Schwandt (2001), ethnography is the process and product of describing and interpreting cultural activities. An ethnography concentrates on the descriptions that people give to routine activities in their daily lives, allowing for a variety of views to be examined at the same time (Maggs-Rapport, 2000). An ethnography involves prolonged periods of observation in which the researcher is immersed in the everyday lives of those being observed (Cresswell,1998). In an ethnography, the researcher seeks to move from an outsider to an insider in order to gain a meaningful estimation of that cultural experience.

Two Surveys

Five Semi-Structured Interviews

Seven Informal conversations

Minutes from Three Teacher Meetings

Nineteen Class Transcriptions

Field Notes

Reflective Journal

Data Analysis Schwandt (2001), ethnography is the process and product of describing and interpreting cultural activities. An ethnography concentrates on the descriptions that people give to routine activities in their daily lives, allowing for a variety of views to be examined at the same time (Maggs-Rapport, 2000). An ethnography involves prolonged periods of observation in which the researcher is immersed in the everyday lives of those being observed (Cresswell,1998). In an ethnography, the researcher seeks to move from an outsider to an insider in order to gain a meaningful estimation of that cultural experience.

Documents can be loaded into Atlas.ti as individual pieces or as one document. These documents are called primary documents in Atlas.ti. This software enables the researcher to search these documents by identifying certain quotations and marking them for future reference. This identification allows the researcher to refer back to this quotation later or to further identify this text by connecting it to a code name. The code can be linked to a memo about the text or the individual code can be commented. These codes, memos, and primary documents can be combined to form code families, memo families, and primary document families.

Context for Study or as one document. These documents are called primary documents in Atlas.ti. This software enables the researcher to search these documents by identifying certain quotations and marking them for future reference. This identification allows the researcher to refer back to this quotation later or to further identify this text by connecting it to a code name. The code can be linked to a memo about the text or the individual code can be commented. These codes, memos, and primary documents can be combined to form code families, memo families, and primary document families.

The School Setting or as one document. These documents are called primary documents in Atlas.ti. This software enables the researcher to search these documents by identifying certain quotations and marking them for future reference. This identification allows the researcher to refer back to this quotation later or to further identify this text by connecting it to a code name. The code can be linked to a memo about the text or the individual code can be commented. These codes, memos, and primary documents can be combined to form code families, memo families, and primary document families.

The School Setting

Intended Research Plan

The General Educator

The Special Educator

The Classroom Setting

Other Classroom Features

Class Population

Class Population

Profiles of Target Students

Description of MATH Plus

Results or as one document. These documents are called primary documents in Atlas.ti. This software enables the researcher to search these documents by identifying certain quotations and marking them for future reference. This identification allows the researcher to refer back to this quotation later or to further identify this text by connecting it to a code name. The code can be linked to a memo about the text or the individual code can be commented. These codes, memos, and primary documents can be combined to form code families, memo families, and primary document families.

There were two expected influences identified as factors that affected how this systemic approach to mathematics reform interfaced with inclusion and they were:

A significant observation garnered from the research was the degree to which unexpected influences affected what took place in the setting.

The impact of mandated testing was a much unexpected classroom influence.

The impact of administrative decisions, both at the school and district levels, affected the implementation of the systemic approach to mathematics reform in a systematic way.

Despite the interference of powerful factors that negatively affected the implementation of this systemic approach to mathematics reform, there was evidence produced that the majority of the target students had positively benefited from their exposure to this approach. This was evidenced by the use of conceptually-based mechanisms to attain basic number facts by most of the target students. The students had seen something in these conceptually-based mechanisms that apparently meant more to them than isolated rote learned skills. They were able to reconnect to these much easier than the facts that were derived from the use of them.

General Implications affected the implementation of this systemic approach to mathematics reform, there was evidence produced that the majority of the target students had positively benefited from their exposure to this approach. This was evidenced by the use of conceptually-based mechanisms to attain basic number facts by most of the target students. The students had seen something in these conceptually-based mechanisms that apparently meant more to them than isolated rote learned skills. They were able to reconnect to these much easier than the facts that were derived from the use of them.

An important issue brought forth in the research is that the environment in which reform is implemented is a definite factor in its success or failure (Anderson, Brown, & Lopez-Ferrao, 2003). The context in which this inclusive setting existed had a definite effect on the implementation of systemic reform.

Another valuable lesson taken from the research is the problematic results of top- down mandates issued without substantive input from those who have to implement it (Tharinger et al., 1996) .

Another very significant implication brought forth from this study is the need to change the perception of the relationship between the general and special educators in the inclusive classroom. As long as general educators perceive special educators as their aides in the inclusive classroom, the kind of collaboration that is required to reach all students, especially those with special needs, will not materialize.

Another important inference drawn from this research is the important role that teacher preparation can play in developing a truly inclusive classroom. As Duchardt, Marlow, Inman, Christensen, and Reeves (1999) found, teacher educators involved in the training of special and general educators can begin the effort by modeling collaboration and co-teaching among each other. This kind of modeling will indicate to pre-service teachers while they are in training that they can work together despite the divergent backgrounds of their chosen professions.

Cawley, J. F., & Miller, J. H. (1989). Cross-sectional comparisons of the mathematical performance of children with learning disabilities: Are we on the right track toward comprehensive programming? Journal of Learning Disabilities, 23, 254-259.